I’m Emanuel Perez, a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). My work focuses on strengthening partnerships among schools, families, and communities to support children’s learning and development.

I completed my B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology at UCLA, and my clinical training includes providing mental health services in English and Spanish to preschoolers and school-age youth. Across both research and practice, I am committed to promoting equitable, developmentally informed supports for children and families.

My research examines how schools and communities function as protective factors that foster children’s school readiness. I am particularly interested in parental engagement as a pathway to early learning, and in understanding how coordinated school–community efforts can support families during the prekindergarten and kindergarten transition years.

I am also interested in bilingualism and dual language immersion programs, especially how language environments shape children's cognitive, linguistic, and socioemotional development. More broadly, I am passionate about bridging research and practice through community–university partnerships that promote evidence-based approaches in early childhood education.